UN Global Compact appoints WindMade Sustainability Partner of Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum
(3BL Media) Brussels, New York - 11 April 2012 - WindMade will be the official Sustainability Partner of the UN Global Compact’s Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro just ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio+20 (20-22 June 2012).
WindMade, the organization behind the first global consumer label for organizations using wind power, has been named Sustainability Partner to ensure that the environmental impact of the event is minimized through all phases of planning and execution. This includes wind power procurement to cover 100 percent of the Forum’s electricity footprint, making it the first ever UN event to be labelled WindMade.
In addition, special efforts will be made to reduce waste, use sustainable materials and recycle products. Participants at the Forum will also be encouraged to contribute to offsetting the carbon emissions caused by their participation and travel.
“The WindMade partnership helps us walk the talk on greater sustainability in Rio,” said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “We want the Corporate Sustainability Forum to be remembered for the way in which it helped advance sustainability development around the world, not for its environmental footprint.”
“We are delighted to work with the UN Global Compact on making the Forum compliant with the WindMade requirement for events, and also to be the overall sustainability partner,” said Henrik Kuffner, WindMade’s CEO. “This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how sustainability efforts can be implemented in practice, and we believe that this will be highly appreciated by the business representatives at the event.”
With an expected participation of 2,000 representatives, the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum aims to strengthen the business contribution to sustainable development globally – seeking to bring greater scale to responsible business practices, to advance and diffuse sustainable innovation, and to stimulate broader collaboration between companies, governments, civil society and the UN.
- To learn about the Forum, visit www.compact4rio.org or contact rio2012@unglobalcompact.org.
- Information about event sustainability at the Forum can be found at www.compact4rio.org/eventsustainability.
- For more information on WindMade and the WindMade Events Standard, see www.windmade.org or contact info@windmade.org.
About the United Nations Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With more than 6,900 corporate signatories in more than 135 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative.
About WindMade™
WindMade™ is the world's first global consumer label for companies, events and products using wind power. The label is managed by the WindMade non-profit organisation, dedicated to accelerating the adoption of renewable energy by improving companies' ability to communicate their wind energy investments to their stakeholders. WindMade™ will strive to achieve this by increasing transparency of corporate investments in wind energy, by educating citizens on the implications of using different energy sources, and by empowering consumers to favour corporations who make a real contribution to delivering new wind energy. The WindMade™ Standard for Events can be found in Appendix C of the WindMade Company Standard.
About Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum: Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want
The United Nations Global Compact will organize the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum: Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want from 15-18 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. Held in cooperation with the Rio+20 Secretariat, the UN System and the Global Compact Local Network Brazil in the days leading up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the Forum’s objective is to bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability practices. As a showcase for innovation and collaboration, the Forum is designed to be a launching ground for widespread action. Over 2,000 participants are expected at the Forum, representing business as well as investors, governments, local authorities, civil society and UN entities.
